December 2012

Dear Friends,

 

We are proud to report that in 2012 we have spent over $320,000 on programs to help empower and improve the lives of children living in poverty. This work is made possible through your continued support, generosity and participation in our various programs and fundraisers. This fact is evident from MAP's 5th Annual Dinner Dance and Auction Fundraiser in San Francisco which helped raise over $200,000. Read on to see how your donation improved the lives of children in the U.S., Iran, India, Cambodia and Afghanistan.

 

MAP began as a volunteer based nonprofit organization in 2008. Many skeptics did not believe that MAP will be able to survive and sustain itself. But thanks to our strong community of volunteers and donors, we have not only survived but, doubled in growth every year.

 

Growth means being able to help many more children live healthy and fruitful lives. Growth also means providing educational opportunity to many more children and, as a result, transforming the lives of generations from poverty to prosperity.

 

With growth comes responsibility for many more children who depend on your continued support. Please consider joining MAP's movement to end childhood poverty by becoming a monthly donor. Click to donate.

 

We are so grateful to you and your continued support of these children and wish you a blessed and Happy New Year to come.

 

MAP Board Members

 

MAP in the U.S. 

Over 15 million children live in poverty in the U.S. Research has shown that childhood poverty is linked to a range of physical-biological, cognitive-academic, and social-emotional problems, and these problems persist into adulthood. (SRCD)

 

MAP believes that charity begins at home and, in 2012, we spent over $60,000 in the U.S. on programs ranging from educational training for foster teens to hunger eradication. We are also proud to announce that, beginning 2013, we are adopting a new Mental Health Program for Homeless Children. 

 

Finally, thanks to your generosity, we just completed our Holiday Helping Hand Project which provides food, toys, gifts, clothing and hygiene products to needy children in the U.S. This program provided holiday meals for hundreds of Navajo Indian families in New Mexico and hundreds of Staten Island families who were victims of Hurricane Sandy, as well as toys and food for hundreds of children in California and more.

 

Click here for a complete list of projects.

 

MAP in Iran

MAP is committed to the children of Iran and, in 2012, spent over $135,000 not only continuing our work in various orphanages, but also providing relief and rebuilding efforts for the victims of the August earthquake in the Azerbaijan province.

 

MAP was one of the first organizations to receive a special OFAC permit to provide disaster assistance to the victims of the earthquake and we have a valid permit till summer of 2013 to continue with the rebuilding efforts in this region. So far, in addition to providing for basic needs, we have provided trauma counseling and constructed three prefabricated schools for the children in the quake-hit regions. Click here for details.

 

It is with great pleasure that we list the various projects which were completed in Iranian orphanages. Click here for a complete list of all our projects in Iran. 

Bu-Ali Center in Kerman (a center for boys aged 7-17): We purchased and set-up six PCs and stations at this center. The computers were furnished with proper software and the children are now receiving a computer education program.
  • Mojtameh Ghiasvand in Shahr-e-Rey (home to 30 orphaned boys aged 6-16): This home was in grave need of renovation. A complete interior and exterior renovation of this orphanage was done in two phases. The work included changing the air conditioning system, a complete renovation of the entire plumbing, building a cold storage for perishable food donated to the orphanage, and fencing the entire yard to protect the children.
  • Samieh Center for Orphaned, Hearing Impaired Children in Kerman (a center for 50 boys and girls): This center was being forced into closing due to lack of funding. We saved this center by providing necessary operating funds for the center.

 

Courtesy of Hormat Nazeri 

In This Issue
MAP in the U.S.
MAP in Iran
MAP in India
MAP in Cambodia
MAP in Afghanistan
MAP in Sierra Leone

MAP in India

In 2012, MAP adopted a new orphanage in Orissa, India and spent $12,000 providing food, education and healthcare for 45 girls at this orphanage. Additionally, MAP purchased various basic need items for the children such as beds, bedding and an electrical generator. Assist Orphanage was built and is operated by Narges Ashtari, Prishan Foundation. 

MAP in Cambodia

  

According to UNICEF, over 30% of the population in Cambodia lives on $1 a day and, sadly, 14% of Cambodian children do not live past the age of five. MAP spent over $80,000 this year supporting children in Cambodia; helping them with programs that foster their development to become successful adults. These programs are made possible through collaboration with our partner, Chibodia.

  • In 2012, we launched a new Family Outreach Program. Poverty forces many parents to condemn their children into a life of slave or sex labor. This program provides for food, healthcare and educational needs of the children while they live at home. The program is very closely supervised by a trained social worker to ensure that the children are living in a healthy, nurturing and stable home environment.
  • In July 2011, we opened a new orphanage in Phnom Penh. Since then, we have 20 beautiful children thriving at HOPE Children's Home.
  • Finally, this year MAP continued supporting the operations of three Motomedix free health clinics.
MAP in Afghanistan

The literacy rate in Afghanistan continues to be the lowest among developing countries and many girls are forced to work at an early age and are not allowed to go to school. MAP believes that education is one of the leading tools in empowering these girls and helping them become independent individuals within their community.

 

In 2012, MAP spent $20,000 funding the ongoing computer, English, literacy, cultural exchange, environmental and peace education at Rokhshana Girls School in Kabul. These programs not only supported over 2,000 girls but also provided training for 23 teachers and the administrative staff.

 

These programs are facilitated by our partner, Help the Afghan Children, and we are pleased to report that upon graduation, many of these students are recruited and employed by various companies and organizations doing business in Kabul.

MAP in Sierra Leone

 

The construction of our school in Central Sierra Leone is almost complete.

Who We Are 

Moms Against Poverty is a volunteer based non-profit organization dedicated to serving and supporting children living in poverty in the U.S. and around the world. Our vision is to nurture and educate these children to their fullest potential so that one day they can contribute and lead within their own communities; thus breaking the cycle of poverty. We carry out this mission by developing and renovating schools and orphanages, providing education, health care and basic needs to these children one community at a time.   

"Changing the World, One Child at a Time"

www.momsagainstpoverty.org 

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